Xbox One S All-Digital Edition Hits Preorder, Launches May 7 For $250
Rumors about the Xbox One S All-Digital edition console have been flying over the last few months. Last month rumors pegged the global launch date for the digital-only console as May 7. A few days ago, another rumor pegged the price at about $260. Microsoft has now gone official with details, pricing, and launch information on the Xbox One S All-Digital edition and proven most of the rumors right.
The console is up for preorder right now, and the part of the rumor that was false is the $260 price. Before you get worried, the console is cheaper than rumors suggested with an official MSRP of $249. Whether that will prove enough cheaper than the existing Xbox One S with the Blu-ray drive integrated to lure customers remains to be seen.
Right now Microsoft is offering several original Xbox One S bundles with popular games for the same $249 price and the regular price for a two-controller standard Xbox One S bundle is $299 meaning the All-Digital console is only $50 cheaper. Heck you can get an "old" Xbox One S bundle with Battlefield V for $215 all day long. The Xbox One S All-digital offers the same 1TB of storage space as the standard console.
All-Digital edition buyers can stream 4K Ultra HD video, and the console supports HDR, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X audio. The All-Digital console ships with one controller and does include the rumored pre-installed games with Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 3. If you need a second controller, you might as well buy the standard Xbox One S two controller bundle at $299; you will spend about the same money on the new console once the second controller is figured in.
It's hard to see a value position for the new All-Digital console, it's nearly the same price as the current console and offers less flexibility. Perhaps this is more about preparing the market for a next-gen console that has no disc drive from the start, effectively killing used game sales and giving more control of the Xbox software ecosystem to Microsoft. If you see the value in the All-Digital console, it can be preordered here.
